There is significant consumer demand for packaged single serving food items which can be selected and prepared on-site by patrons themselves of retail stores. The patrons can then consume the cooked food items on-site or “on-the-go” either in a hand held manner, or with serving plates/bowls and eating utensils, whichever is convenient or desired. Retail stores have marketed food products which require a minimum amount of consumer preparation, and also have provided walk-up food preparation capabilities in which frozen foods are sold, cooked on-site, and then eaten on-site or off-site by patrons. For instance, preassembled frozen sandwiches, pizzas, burritos, etc., have been sold from freezers at retail locations which can be cooked or warmed up by customers on-site using a rapid heating oven, such as a microwave oven, provided at the same location. Freezing the sandwiches increases the product's shelf life and helps preserve the freshness of the product until defrosted and cooked. Heating the sandwiches not only defrosts the food items but also makes them more chewable and savory for the patron.
Convenience stores and other retail venues often have limited floor space available to install on-site frozen food storage and cooking equipment. Patrons commonly are provided a relatively limited area in the stores in which to prepare their frozen food selection and purchase for consumption. If greater food preparation areas are provided, it may come at the expense of product shelving or advertising display space available within the store. Also, patrons carrying out self-service cooking operations at convenience stores and the like often are pressed for time, and may not be very familiar with the provided cooking equipment and/or a selected food product. The cooking equipment generally will be used by many different patrons having varying levels of dexterity and familiarity with the particular cooking equipment provided at that location.